1. Technical Field
This invention relates to drinking apparatus and, more particularly, towards a device that enables a disabled person to consume liquids while confined to a bed.
2. Discussion
Among the many problems confronting a disabled person is the problem of drinking liquids while the person is confined as a patient in a hospital bed. This is especially true when the disabled person has lost the use of his/her arms.
The patent literature contains several prior patents which relate to the general concept of drinking devices. They include:
______________________________________ Patent No. Inventor(s) ______________________________________ 103,299 Chapin 455,452 Murray 2,797,962 Best 2,893,675 Smith et al. 2,912,205 Toune 2,969,064 Metz 3,842,981 Lambert 4,196,747 Quigley et al. 4,291,814 Conn 4,699,318 Donatello et al. ______________________________________
While many of these patents attempt to solve some of the problems associated with drinking devices for invalids, there still exists a need for an economical yet effective drinking device as provided by the present invention.